An amusement land is now provided with various kinds of amusement apparatus having rotary capsules which players get on.
In almost all amusement apparatuses having such rotary capsules, however, the capsule rotates only in a single direction. Because of this simple motion of the capsule, a player who gets on it with an expectation of having a special sensation, becomes soon accustomed to the simple motion of the capsule, and cannot fully enjoy the play. An amusement apparatus having a capsule rotating in a single direction and moving horizontally or vertically has been proposed, but was unable to sufficiently satisfy a player.
Under such circumstances, an amusement apparatus having a capsule which rotates in various directions is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Provisional Publication No. 64-56,292 dated Apr. 7, 1989 (hereinafter referred to as the "prior art"). The amusement apparatus of the prior art is described below with reference to FIG. 1.
FIG. 1 is a schematic front view illustrating the amusement apparatus having a rotary capsule of the prior art. As shown in FIG. 1, the amusement apparatus 1 of the prior art comprises:
Upon starting up the above-mentioned apparatus 1 of the prior art, the center of gravity of the capsule 2 is lower than the first shaft 7 on the vertical line 10 passing through the center axis of the first shaft 7.
The intermediate frame 5 is rotated around the third shaft 9 relative to the outer frame 6 by means of the intermediate frame driving means 11 comprising a motor and a reduction gear set.
As described above, the center axis 9a of the third shaft 9 diagonally intersects the vertical line 10, and upon starting up the amusement apparatus 1, the center of gravity of the capsule 2 is located, not on the center axis 9a of the third shaft 9, but on the vertical line 10 passing through the center axis of the first shaft 7. Therefore, when the intermediate frame 5 is rotated around the third shaft 9 by means of the intermediate frame driving means 11, a force causing the inner frame 4 to rotate around the second shaft 8 is produced under the effect of the transfer of the center of gravity of the capsule 2 along with the rotation of the intermediate frame 5. As a result, the inner frame 4 rotates around the second shaft 8 relative to the intermediate frame 5 along with the rotation of the intermediate frame 5 around the third shaft 9. This rotation of the inner frame 4 relative to the intermediate frame 5 is braked by means of the inner frame braking means 13 comprising an electromagnetic brake.
Along with the rotation of the intermediate frame 5 around the third shaft 9 and the rotation of the inner frame 4 around the second shaft 8, the center of gravity of the capsule 2 transfers around the first shaft 7, i.e., the capsule 2 rotates around the first shaft 7. This rotation of the capsule 2 relative to the inner frame 4 is braked by means of the capsule braking means 12 comprising an electromagnetic brake.
The above-mentioned amusement apparatus of the prior art has the following advantages: (1) The intermediate frame 5 rotates around the third shaft 9 relative to the outer frame 6; the inner frame 4 rotates around the second shaft 8 which extends in a direction different from that of the third shaft 9, relative to the intermediate frame 5; and the capsule 2 rotates around the first shaft 7, which extends in a direction different from those of the second shaft 8 and the third shaft 9, relative to the inner frame 4. The capsule 2 thus rotates in various directions relative to the ground, therefore satisfying to some extent a player who gets on the apparatus with an expectation of having a special sensation; and (2) The inner frame 4 and the capsule 2 can be individually rotated only by rotating the intermediate frame 5 around the third shaft 9 by means of the intermediate frame driving means 11. The structure is therefore relatively simple, and the manufacturing cost is relatively low.
In the amusement apparatus 1 of the prior art, however, the force causing the rotation of the inner frame 4 around the second shaft 8 and the force causing the rotation of the capsule 2 around the first shaft 7 are produced by the transfer of the center of gravity of the capsule 2, caused by the rotation of the intermediate frame 5 around the third shaft 9 by means of the intermediate frame driving means 11. The above-mentioned apparatus 1 of the prior art has therefore the following defects:
Under such circumstances, there is a strong demand for development of an amusement apparatus having a rotary capsule, of which the rotating direction of the capsule can be changed to an arbitrary direction from time to time, and further, the rotating speed of the capsule can be changed to an arbitrary speed from time to time, thus sufficiently satisfying a player who gets on the apparatus with an expectation of having a special sensation, but such an apparatus has not as yet been proposed.